pop_culturefandomcom-20200223-history
Purple Rain (song)
"Purple Rain" is a song by Prince and The Revolution. It is the title track from the 1984 album of the same name, which in turn is the soundtrack album for the 1984 film of the same name, and was released as the third single from that album. The song is a combination of rock, pop, gospel, and orchestral music. It reached #2 in the U.S., and is widely considered one of Prince's signature songs. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, shipping 1 million units in the United States.[1] Contents http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Rain_(song)# hide *1 Recording *2 Song structure *3 Performances *4 As a single *5 Track listing **5.1 7" **5.2 12" **5.3 12" (UK) **5.4 Shaped picture disc (UK) **5.5 7" promo (US) **5.6 7" promo (UK) **5.7 12" promo (US) *6 Charts *7 Awards and accolades *8 References Recordinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purple_Rain_(song)&action=edit&section=1 edit The song was recorded during a benefit concert for the Minnesota Dance Theatre at the First Avenue nightclub in Minneapolis on August 3, 1983. The performance was guitarist Wendy Melvoin's live debut with The Revolution, at age nineteen. City Pages described the 70-minute performance as Prince's "sweatiest and most soulful hometown concert yet", and drummer Bobby Z stated, "it certainly was one of the best concerts we ever did".[2] The concert was recorded by David Rivkin using a mobile recording unit brought in from the Record Plant in New York City, staffed by engineers Dave Hewitt and Kooster McAllister.[3] The basic tracks for three songs were used on the Purple Rain soundtrack: "Purple Rain", "I Would Die 4 U", and "Baby I'm a Star". Prince performed overdubs and re-recorded the vocals while working at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles from August–September 1983. A solo and verse from the original recording were edited out, changing the length from eleven to eight minutes.[2] The extra verse was about money, but was removed because it diluted the emotional impact of the song.[citation needed] After recording the song, Prince phoned Jonathan Cain from Journey asking him to hear it, worried it might be too similar to "Faithfully", a Journey single composed by Cain which had recently been in the charts. Cain reassured Prince telling him the songs only shared the same four chords.[4] Song structurehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purple_Rain_(song)&action=edit&section=2 edit "Purple Rain" opens with a lone guitar quickly followed by live drumming and a prominent organ, evoking images of church gospel music. Three verses are followed by a chorus, with a building emotional delivery. In the context of the film, each verse ties into a different strained relationship Prince's character has and his desire to reconcile. The first verse is dedicated to his father, then his ex-girlfriend (Apollonia), and then his band mates. After the final chorus, a guitar solo takes over the song. The song ends with a piano solo and orchestral strings. Prince's vocal range spans from the low note of F3 to the high note of A5.[5] Performanceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purple_Rain_(song)&action=edit&section=3 edit The song is a staple of Prince's live performances. He has played it on nearly every tour since 1984, except for a period after his name change when he avoided his older hits for a few years. At Super Bowl XLI's halftime show, in which he was the featured performer, "Purple Rain" was featured as the last song of his set and was, appropriately, played during a downpour at the stadium, which combined with the purple stage lighting created the song's signature image. Prince performed the song as the opening of a medley of his hits with Beyoncé at the 2004 Grammy Awards, and also at the 2006 Brit Awards. As a singlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purple_Rain_(song)&action=edit&section=4 edit In order to be released as a single, the song was shortened from 8:45 to 4:05. The B-side, "God", is a much more overtly religious number (Prince's most religious to date), recalling the book of Genesis. The song also features extensive vocal experimentation. Towards the end, Prince mentions "The Dance Electric", which was a song given to former band member André Cymone. In the U.K., the 12" single also included an instrumental of "God", also known as "Love Theme from Purple Rain", from which an edited portion appears in the film. Track listinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purple_Rain_(song)&action=edit&section=5 edit 7"http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purple_Rain_(song)&action=edit&section=6 edit *A. "Purple Rain" (edit) – 4:02 *B. "God" – 3:59 12"http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purple_Rain_(song)&action=edit&section=7 edit *A. "Purple Rain" – 8:45 *B. "God" – 3:59 12" (UK)http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purple_Rain_(song)&action=edit&section=8 edit *A. "Purple Rain" (long version) – 7:05 *B1. "God (Love Theme from Purple Rain)" (instrumental) – 7:54 *B2. "God" (vocal) – 3:59 Shaped picture disc (UK)http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purple_Rain_(song)&action=edit&section=9 edit *A. "Purple Rain" (edit) – 4:02 *B. "God" – 3:59 7" promo (US)http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purple_Rain_(song)&action=edit&section=10 edit *A. "Purple Rain" (edit) – 4:02 *B. "Purple Rain" (edit) – 4:02 7" promo (UK)http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purple_Rain_(song)&action=edit&section=11 edit *A. "Purple Rain" (radio edit) – 4:19 *B. "Purple Rain" (long radio edit) – 5:37 12" promo (US)http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purple_Rain_(song)&action=edit&section=12 edit *A. "Purple Rain" (edit) – 4:02 *B. "Purple Rain" (LP version) – 8:45 Chartshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purple_Rain_(song)&action=edit&section=13 edit Awards and accoladeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Purple_Rain_(song)&action=edit&section=14 edit Category:1984 singles Category:Prince (musician) songs Category:Songs written by Prince (musician) Category:1980s ballads Category:Pop ballads Category:Rock ballads Category:The Waterboys songs Category:Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Category:The Flying Pickets songs Category:Warner Bros. Records singles Category:Song recordings produced by Prince (musician) Category:1984 songs